the election heard 'round the world

history in the making is indeed an exciting thing! so many thoughts and feelings ran through me as i sat on the phone with the friend and watched as people danced in the streets of DC, cheering and elated with feelings of hope and victory.

congratulations to President Obama! his acceptance speech was moving and inspirational. and as i watched him, i kept asking myself, "i wonder what he's thinking right now???" i wonder if he's flooded with awe, nervousness, pride and elation. i wonder what his wife and little girls are feeling. what a huge moment for them all!

but even as i felt the magnitude of such a historical moment, in awe that i'm actually alive to see our nation's first Black President elected, in a nation that for years and years fought to keep Black people from enjoying the fruits of America's labor, i couldn't help but recognize that my reaction is still vastly different from most.

and i'm not ashamed to say it.

President Obama represents hope and change. he represents pride in our heritage. he represents progression of this nation - and i'm excited for that. it is just my prayer that people learn to put their expectations and faith in God first, and in man second.

as i watched CSPAN last night, my mixed feelings were reaffirmed as caller after caller, both Obama and McCain supporters, phoned in to voice their opinions.

first, i couldn't believe some of the ridiculous and racist statements that poured out of the mouths of so many McCain supporters. SEVERAL people called in with that bull about them not voting for Obama because "he's not even a U.S citizen."

huh??!

it's amazing how people will attach their own truth to rumors. to say with conviction that Obama doesn't deserve the presidency because he's not a citizen, is to say that you have proven that so-called "fact." and you haven't. how an adult can listen to the murmurings of the ignorant and cling to that as "truth" is both ridiculous and immature. it just proves that this country has a long way to go.

don't you think the officials of this country would have taken action to keep Obama from even running in the first place if they had factual information that he wasn't a US citizen?? come on now...the process has been going on for months - ample time for them to have discovered his birth origins. if you're going to be against the man, please come up with something better than that.

HA. people are pathetic.

another thing that kills me is people's assumption that Obama is muslim simply because his middle name is Hussein - as one caller pointed out. she actually said "i don't like that we elected a muslim to be our president." and when the CSPAN guy asked her where she got that info, she actually said, "well...his middle name is Hussein..."

LOL!! ok, so if i give my baby an Arabic name, does that mean he's Arabic? what if i name my son a Latin name - does that mean he's Puerto Rican or Argentnian? my own birth name is of Russian origin.

so i guess i'm Russian. i never knew it worked that way.

again, if you hate Obama, do it because you hate what he stands for, not grasping at racist straws and accusations that have no real basis. i cannot stand racist idiots who like to pretend they aren't racist (probably because they have that one Black neighbor or "friend" that they never even talk to or invite into their inner circle but because they know their first name, they're friends...) but still have this mentality. it boggles the mind. didn't anyone tell you that racism is played out? get with it homies.

on the total opposite side, my problem with some Obama supporters is that people keep talking about his character and his heart, how he is a good person, how they have so much faith in him that he'll do all that he says he'll do, that they have struggled for so long and that they need Obama to make changes for this country so that their lives can improve.

that's dangerous to me and it's part of the reason my excitement over Obama has been noticeably muted. i don't care how nice someone seems or speaks or what awesome plans they propose to make, not one of us can see into this man's heart - only God can. we cannot know his character or if he's a "good person" by watching debate speeches. and struggle as you might, we cannot put our faith into any man to make our lives better or different. sure we can like a person. sure we hope that he accomplishes great things for us. but we need to remember (for those of us that know God), that our change comes through God alone. our hope and faith are to be put in God - not man.

i say all that because, IF Pres. Obama doesn't come through, and IF he greatly disappoints, and IF he doesn't do all that he said he would do, where does your hope go? where does your faith go? where does your enthusiasm and excitement go? it is dangerous to put all your hope into any human. put your faith, expectations and hopes into God, who will never disappoint. and recognize that no matter how great Pres. Obama is, our God is greater and our God is still in control. i'm not depending on Obama to change our lives, i'm depending on God. i pray for God's protection and mercy to cover their entire family and i pray that God moves in our new President's heart to be able to move things in the right direction in this nation.

people have mistaken these sentiments as my saying that people shouldn't be excited about Obama, and then giving me a laundry list of reasons why they're happy and excited. i totally understand all that - i'm not anti-Obama. but i'm MORE pro-God. and i'm realistic. and i'm understand that humans are humans. therefore my expectations are given to God, and i trust Him to move in whatever way he sees fit, as i continue to do all that i can do to stand in this great nation.

it's like people who feel they won't ever be fulfilled until they get married, or have a baby, or have their dream career. if we don't realize that our fulfillment needs to come from a deep, personal relationship with Christ, we will never be fulfilled. there's nothing wrong with wanting a spouse, with wanting a child, with wanting a great job. those are all things i want myself.

but there is a place inside of us that only God can fill - and no husband/wife, baby or job can fill that space. if you base your fulfillment on a husband, and then that husband hurts you, cheats on you or is unfaithful to you - then what? but if your SOURCE of fulfillment is GOD, and recognizing that your spouse, child or job is a RESOURCE, not a SOURCE, then you'll be at peace. if you can still feel fulfilled without all those things, but still having a heart filled with God, then you will have peace.

it's the same with this presidency. so no, i'm not anti-Obama, yes i'm anticipating what is to come. but i'm not putting my hopes, dreams and faith into this man or any other. those belong to God. God is my source; Obama is a resource. God is the changer, the mover, the way-maker, the fulfiller; Obama CAN be His instrument - IF he allows God to use him.

i wish more people understood that.

in any case, happy post-election!! i hope you all got some sleep! :-D

i sure didn't - i was up late because of the election excitement and then when i finally went to bed, i kept waking up every 10 mins to blow my stuffy nose and reapply Vicks Vaporub.

being sick sucks. i feel defeated. this is the first full-blown cold i've had in YEARS. i'm ashamed that they got the best of me.